Dissenting Army Officers Are Arrested by Mexican Military

By James F. SmithLos Angeles TimesMEXICO CITY

Faced with an embarrassing mini-mutiny, the Mexican military has opted
for a hard-line approach to dissent, jailing five army officers on sedition
and insubordination charges for leading the first organized protest by
Mexican soldiers in modern memory.

The arrests Monday followed repeated public demonstrations by members
of the "Patriotic Command to Raise the Consciousness of the People" since
the group of about 50 officers first emerged Dec. 18 with a march down
Mexico City's main boulevard.

The leader of the group, Lt. Col. Hildegardo Bacilio, was also charged
but evaded arrest and remained in hiding Tuesday. His organization,
meanwhile, protested that the arrests "reflect the abuses of authority that
are committed constantly by high functionaries of the Ministry of
Defense."

Mexico's armed forces, unlike those in some Latin American countries,
have consistently stayed loyal to the government since the ruling
Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, first won power in 1929. In
return, the government has largely left the military to run its own
internal affairs, including discipline.

Roderic Ai Camp, a specialist in the Mexican military at Claremont
College, said the arrests "obviously reflect a hard-line attitude" by the
Mexican military command. "They have really been very orthodox in their
attitude, (and) they want to send a very tough message that anyone who goes
out into public and makes statements critical of military policies is going
to be dealt with in a severe manner," he said.

But Camp added that, while the dissidents appear to have little support,
some of the issues they are raising, such as unfair and outmoded military
justice, "do resonate with other military officers and that's what makes
this so important."

The public protests sparked major debates in Mexico over the military
and its relationship with civil society in an era of increasing
openness.

In announcing the charges Monday night, the military prosecutor
general's office said five lieutenants were consigned to the military
prison in Mazatlan on the Pacific coast.